By Ayomide Otitoju
The Federal Government has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss the no-case submission filed by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), insisting that he has a case to answer on terrorism charges.
Lead prosecution counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), argued before Justice James Omotosho on Friday that Kanu’s broadcast on Radio Biafra, in which he called for the disintegration of Nigeria and the formation of a Republic of Biafra, posed a direct threat to national security.
Awomolo told the court that Kanu’s remarks were not idle threats but inciting statements that allegedly led to violence and the killing of over 170 security personnel.
“The defendant made a broadcast in which he identified himself as IPOB’s leader and declared that the world would stand still,” he said. “This is not protected speech under Nigerian law, but a calculated act of subversion.”
However, Kanu’s lead counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), argued that the prosecution failed to present any direct evidence linking Kanu’s statements to acts of violence. He noted that the five prosecution witnesses, all Department of State Services operatives, admitted their roles were limited to taking statements from the defendant.
Agabi maintained that no investigation report or testimony demonstrated that anyone was incited by Kanu, and described his client’s remarks as political rhetoric protected by constitutional rights.
He also criticised Kanu’s long solitary confinement, saying it violates international human rights standards.
